Crisis on a Cable Car
by Joyeuse
Summary: Bruce Banner is a hostage on a cable car dangling above East River. Can Black Widow save him in time? One-shot.


Natasha hoped something would happen **before** she had to take her top off. The inebriated Russian, known by those who cared (a limited number, of which Natasha only pretended to be a member) as Smurov, obliged.

She felt relief as Smurov turned his gun's safety off. She was standing at a vanity desk, which had a mirror with gilded framing, along with various beauty supplies. She could see the drunk Russian in the reflection. Clearly the desk wasn't his.

"Whose room is this?" Natasha asked.

"My wife's," he said, smiling. Her blood boiled, "But I think you've got more than infidelity to worry about, tonight."

Of course, if he was a smart man, or maybe even a sober man, he might have been the one currently worrying. But she didn't see the point in correcting him.

"So, the infamous Black Widow has come to take me down," he giggled, looking at Natasha with lascivious eyes, "This isn't how I wanted the night to go, but such is life."

"I know how you wanted the night to end. It's better this way," she said, paying careful attention to Smurov's finger. That was the trouble, dealing with drunken weapon smugglers. You never knew what they were going to do next.

"I suppose you say that a lot."

"You wouldn't be surprised."

"But usually you're the one with the gun?" he smiled, his eyes half-open with pride.

"Yeah," she said. That was a difficult lie, even for her.

"I assume you've come for the money." She couldn't help the wide smile spread across her face.

Before he had a chance to move, she fell to the floor. He shot the mirror, by which point she had taken out her own gun, pointing it at him.

"You really shouldn't drink. It slows down your reaction time. Which is dangerous, in your line of work." She walked over to him and ripped the gun out of his hand.

"You bitch. You stupid, stupid-"

She gun-whipped him. He didn't respond, probably preoccupied with a lack of consciousness.

Natasha's cell phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Black Widow," Fury said, on the other line.

"Yeah, I just got finished with the weapons smuggler. He already sold the weapons to AIM."

"We know," Fury said, "Natasha, we have a situation. It's Bruce Banner. AIM is holding him hostage, with some of those weapons Smurov gave them."

"I can't be the only one who sees the easy fix, here. Why hasn't he already transformed?"

"That's the problem. He's being held in a cable car they've managed to stop over East River. The Super-Adaptoid is in there-"

"Super-Adaptoid?" Natasha said, incredulous.

"We're talking about scientists who look like beekeepers. They're not gonna be the sleakest foes you ever fight. But that's not the point. The Super-Adaptoid is a robot with advanced artificial intelligence, apparently very good at mimicking the powers of other superheroes. Banner goes green, not only will the trolley fall and kill numerous civilians, we'll also have a more directed, malicious Hulk on your hands. Which means we need you to get in there and get our man **out**."

Banner stood there, looking out over the ocean, breathing as slowly as possible. He tried focusing on the ever-present monotony of the waves, the way they managed to roll and roll but never get anywhere. Just like all that anger, all that pushing. It never got anyone anywhere.

He felt a jolt at his side and once again noticed his hands tied to the poll. He thought about how far a drop it was down from here, and saw the little boy whimpering in the corner.

"_My anger's gonna kill that boy," _he thought.

He tried relaxing. Ocean, waves, monotony.

Another jolt. Stronger, this time. He looked down at the weapon his captor was using. Looked like a trident and was sending off electric shocks. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

"C'mon. Big, bad Hulk doesn't want to come out and play?" the robot's metal voice irritated Banner's ears. That was the worst thing about this situation. This stupid robot with its pathetic plans. Trying to coax a man into becoming a monster.

Banner felt his emotions rising to a dangerously high level. Ocean, waves, monotony. Ocean, waves, monotony.

Another jolt. Even stronger.

Ocean, waves, monotony. Ocean,waves,monotony. Oceanwavesmonotony. **OCEANWAVESMONOTONY.**

One of the windows crashed open, and Black Widow poured in. Banner felt The Hulk ripping his way to the physical world. It started with the expansion of his shoulders. Each muscle was bubbling, acclimating to an ever-expanding body. The rope around his wrists snapped, setting him free from the pole.

"Banner, no!" Black Widow yelled.

"Yes, Black Widow. Your doom has already begun," Super-Adaptoid pointed out.

"Don't think so," she said. She ran at Banner, kicking down the window next to him. More glass shattered. She grabbed him and threw him out of the cable car and into the ocean.

"Heartless," Super-Adaptoid noted.

"He'll live."

"That makes one of you." And with that, Super-Adaptoid tried stabbing Natasha with the trident. She moved her head out of the way and grabbed the electric weapon. Pulling it forward, Super-Adaptoid fell onto one of the seats. She then proceeded to pull her gun, firing three shots in the android's chest. It lay there, motionless.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't have bulletproof skin to copy," with that, she put her gun back in its holster.

Of course, there was still the issue of the rampaging Hulk. She heard him bellow.

The words were screaming in Hulk's head, each one feeling more powerful and merciless than the next. And there was also something about them so cruel, so unbearable.

A wave smacked him in the face. He paddled to stay afloat, but the water was trying to suck him under.

He seethed. Stupid water. Couldn't really fight. Couldn't really do anything but splash.

He flailed, each stroke towards the shore making him a bit bigger, a bit angrier, a bit less willing to deal with people. He reached the shore and climbed out, looking at the sparkling city all around him. It was so beautiful.

"Banner," she said. Her voice was soft, soothing. Hulk liked. He turned around and saw that it was Black Widow. "Banner, we're going to have to take you in, calm you down. You can't do this in front of all these people."

Rage. He **wouldn't** go. He **couldn't **go. Where would they take him? Put him into yet another cage S.H.I.E.L.D. had created for him? Wait for Banner to take over again? No. He wouldn't have it.

He snarled and ran towards Natasha.

Five shots were fired. Each from a tranquilizer gun-Natasha's.

It was enough tranquilizer to incapacitate twenty elephants-designed especially for the Hulk, it was just enough to take him down. He took another step towards Natasha. His veins were popping, yet he was barely able to move forward. He collapsed. As he lay there for a few moments, his anger subsided, his heart pumped less rapidly, and he turned back into a human.

Natasha bent over and picked him up. She smiled at that tranquil, kind face of Banner's. "It's time to get you back home," she said.


End file.
